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thedrifter
03-03-09, 06:40 AM
Blaszczyk hopes to carry regional momentum to Hershey
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Mar 03, 2009
00:01 EST
West Lawn

Semper Fi!


The motto of the United States Marine Corps, "Semper Fidelis," translated from the Latin means: Always Faithful.

For going on 234 years the Corps has been a faithful defender of our way of life. And for going on four years, Michael Blaszczyk has been a faithful defender of the way of life of Lancaster Catholic wrestling.

He added to his growing legend Saturday at Wilson High School, taking third at 171 pounds in the PIAA Southeast Regional tournament and earning a place in this week's state championships.

Blaszczyk bettered his senior record to 38-2, pounding Ian Gimbar of Saucon Valley, 12-1, to claim the bronze medal.

The District 11 champion had no answer — and no defense — for a series of tilts by Blaszczyk in the second period. Those scoring opportunities allowed Blaszczyk to expand a 2-0 first-period lead to 9-0.

He added three more backpoints in the third period on a crunching bar-and-half combination before Gimbar escaped to close out the scoring.

"I thought it was going to be a lot closer," said Blaszczyk, talking about his final bout of the day. "I just guess my style went better against his."

It was a long day, and a strange day, for the Crusader senior who lost to a wrestler he defeated at districts last weekend and beat a wrestler who defeated him in the same tournament.

Blaszczyk, whose career numbers read 119-31, bested Hamburg's Glenn Miller in the district semifinals, despite Miller dominating action from neutral.

In the regional semis Miller once again set the tone on takedowns, scoring three. But this time he gave Blaszczyk no opportunity to even things down on the mat, yielding just three escapes in a 6-3 victory.

With his path to states now set through the wrestlebacks, Blaszczyk took on Corey Mattila of Boiling Springs in the consolation semifinals.

Mattila frustrated Blaszczyk in a 4-2 district championship victory last Saturday.

Catholic coach Tom Blaszczyk, thinking of a worst-case scenario with Miller observed, prior to regionals, "If (Michael) doesn't get out of that semi, I hope he gets that kid (Mattila) again."

Request affirmed.

But this time, after a 1-1 regulation, Blaszczyk prevailed, taking Mattila down into a very satisfying overtime fall.

"The semifinal was a disappointment, since I beat him before, Blaszczyk said. "But it ended good."

Now, the question is, how will states end?

For those that follow this sort of thing, there's a kind of pattern emerging here.

First at sectionals. Second at districts. Third at regionals.

Fourth at states?

Blaszczyk will open his first, and final, state tournament against David Kephart, a sophomore out of Portage.

Kephart (25-7), the District Six fourth-place finisher, upset second-seeded Cody Catalina (33-9) of Beth-Center in the Southwest regional quarterfinals before losing to United's Tyler Capitosti in the finals.

Catalina finished fourth at regionals, drawing Grove City's undefeated Caleb Kolb (35-0) in the first round.

Kolb finished third in the state at 160 as a junior in 2008 and Blaszczyk, assuming a victory over Kephart, would face the Kolb-Catalina winner in the quarterfinals.

Also in Blaszczyk's half of the bracket is Lewisburg senior Nathaniel Brown (30-2), the Northwest Region champion.

In the top half of the draw Capitosti (26-1) and Octorara's Southeast Region champion Josh Smith (33-3) reign supreme.

But the bigger question is what waits for Blaszczyk beyond March 7?

"Some schools are talking to me about wrestling," Blaszczyk said. "But I'm thinking about the Marines. I'm more interested in the Marines than in wrestling in college."

The Marines. Duty. Honor. Country.

A noble choice. But one must ask: why?

"My brother-in-law was in the Marines for four years, I guess that's what started to inspire me. I've just always wanted to be one since I was little."

There is not one adult male who, at some point in his boyhood, did not think about joining the Marines.

There's the history, most of all.

And then there's the dress blues, without a doubt the sharpest formal uniform of any branch of the armed forces.

But most boys — maybe outgrow is not the right word — find other avenues to explore as they reach maturity.

Not everyone can be a Marine.

"I'm not real thrilled about it," said Tom Blaszczyk, acknowledging the Marines' affinity for going in harm's way.

"They're always going to be somewhere," he shrugged. "I don't think any time is a great time (to be in). But he's always just wanted to be a Marine."

Perhaps Michael Blaszczyk's last weekend as a scholastic wrestler will finish with a resounding: "Oorah!"

E-mail: dbyrne@lnpnews.com

Ellie